good thursday morning. coming up on "early today." what's their connection and what did they do. new arrests from the boston bombing break over the investigation. it's the most sensational murder trial in america today. now it's time foreclosing arguments in the jodi arias legal drama. santa ana winds are causing havoc for over 400 firefighters in california. plus chris kelly, half of the '90s duo krisskross is found dead. a florida homeowner finds four feet of mud in his home and the ad is being called the most racist commercial in history. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for thursday, may 2nd. good morning. i'm richard lui. the boston bombing investigation

widens. three friends of jailed suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev has been arrested and charges. nbc's tracie potts details for us. >> reporter: sources don't think that were involved in buying any materials but they do believe they may have destroyed evidence after the fact. authorities have had their eyes on the three for over a week. two have been jailed. now, robel phillipos is charged with making charged statements. dias cab buy everybody and azamat tazhayakov are charged. >> he's just as shocked as the rest of the community is. >> reporter: investigators say the suspect took a backpack of empty fireworks and a laptop from dzhokhar tsarnaev's dorm room to keep him out of trouble. >> they did not know those items

were involved in a bombing. >> reporter: but what did they know? they said they set off fireworks. >> two months before, they said tsarnaev told them he knew how to make a bomb. >> reporter: quickly assured nervous bostonians. >> this should not raise any concerns in anybody's find about continuing threats. >> reporter: in washington, congress plans a hearing on the investigation. set to testify, boston's police commissioner about whether the fbi told his agency what it knew about the tsarnaev brothers before the bombing. now, depending on the charges, and the charges are for two and for one of the suspect, they're looking at five to eight years behind bars. $250,000 in mines. and two of them, richard, have already agreed to voluntary detention. >> thank you so much. this morning airport officials are investigating a runway mishap. at one of the nation's busiest airports. the wing of the scandinavian airlines plane clipped the wing

of a united jet while they were taxiing. no injuries reported. passengers were booked on other flights. the sensational murder trial of jodi arias could soon be in the hands of a jury. nearly four months of testimony from 36 witnesses concluded late wednesday with attorneys now prepping foreclosing arguments. the 32-year-old has admitted to shooting and stabbing her then boyfriend travis alexander back in 2008 but she argues it was in self-defense. her attorney claims she was abused in the months leading up to the murder. prosecutors contend arias is a calculating and cold-blooded killer who can't keep her story straight. she faces the death penalty if convicted. more than 400 firefighters in southern california are battling a fast-moving wildfire fueled by fierce santa ana winds. and so far, the blaze has burned nearly 3,000 acres, destroyed one home, and displaced hundreds of residents. here's nbc's dan shanaman.

>> reporter: the fast-burning fire broke out in the foot hills of the san bernardino mountains in southern california. it sent a cloud of thick black smoke billowing into the sky blanketing the nearby valley. diane cordero came in to help her grandmother get out of harm's way. >> she's 83 years old. she has all her belongings and she's upset, she's crying. >> reporter: other residents have already lost their belongings. >> that used to be my bedroom that i would be at. and the closet is behind there. i don't think i have anything other than what's on my back. >> reporter: more than 400 firefighters and six air tankers battled the blaze. crews say as long as the winds stay low they should be able to control fire. however the red flag warning in place many in the area aren't taking any chances. dan schenamen, nbc news. some sad news to report. chris kelly, better known as the mack daddy half of kriss kross has died. ♪ the mack daddy will make you

jump jump ♪ >> authorities say 34-year-old kelly was unresponsive when he was found in his atlanta home last night. investigators are unsure of the cause of death. the folsom county coroner's office said an autopsy is planned for today. kelly together with chris smith were discovered at an atlanta mall at 13 years old before shooting to fame with their hit "jump." which spent eight weeks as number one. more snow in store for the midwest. a may day storm dumped more than ten inches of snow north of denver, making for treacherous road travel and causing dozens of flight cancellations at denver international. nbc's bill karins has more on where that storm's headed right now. >> wild. i just heard that all the schools in southern portions and southwest minnesota closed for a snow day. >> i don't know what to say. >> crazy. the temperatures across the country. let's start with that, first.

because the extreme, the cold air that's settled down from montana through colorado is now pushing into the plains. the windchill's 11 in denver. i mean, that's crazy. it's a little cool in seattle there windchills up to 45. white on the map shows the snow. here we are, 2nd day of may, snow falling, extreme in portions of texas, oklahoma, kansas, all through missouri, iowa, minnesota, wisconsin and michigan. there's like nine states with snowflakes falling in the midwest. so yesterday we showed you the pictures there. the fire. the windy conditions, the dry weather. all winter long, we didn't get enough moisture, especially in california. the snow pack was lower than normal. we were warm. and got an early start to the fire season. and no signs of significant precipitation in site for anywhere especial from medford southward. just another warm day. beautiful for most of us but gh.

temperature 95 in santa rosa. >> it's always something with the weather, right? too much rain, it's flooding. and then the drought and the fires. we have the fires in southern california that are typical, but later in the year. thank you, bill karins. >> where have all the beer drinkers gone? we've got surprising new stats. we'll show you what's called the most racist commercial in history. a foreign country is beefing up their air power with a multibillion dollar purchase of 100 f-35s. "early today" is back in two.

welcome back to "early today." the fbi is looking for these three men in a possible connection with the september 11th attack on the u.s.

consulate in benghazi. investigators say they were on the grounds that day but not considered suspects. the first american settlers turned to can balancism during the winter of 1609 and 1610. the skull of a 14-year-old girl found near jamestown settlement had cuts that are consistent with butchering for meat. heavy rain caused massive mudslide in florida with mud in this home piling up as high as four feet. luckily no one was home. may day protests in seattle turned violent with police. using pepper spray and flash bombs to disperse the crowds. rocks were thrown at law enforcement. it was one of multiple protests across the country demanding better working conditions. census stats show six in ten babies born in 2011 to mothers in their early 20s was born out of wedlock. that's up from the 1980s. and compared to 17% for moms in their late 30s. all right to business now.

and cnbc kayla tausche. good morning. >> good morning, richard. with shares of facebook, the social networking giant said mobile ads help propel a big jump in revenue. facebook has more than 1.1 billion monthly active users. the number of people who logon solely with a mobile device has doubled. and ford puts out the help wanted sign. the automaker at its plant in kansas city to help meet surging demands for pickup trucks. and now you can watch your pizza being made from anywhere. dominos is testing a live webcam for customers to check on their order from start to finish. >> you have to have a lot of talent to watch for that. retail sales can turn around a rough start to may. the feds keep interest rates at

record lows to boost the economy but that did not keep stocks from tumbling. new this morning, australia is about to place an order for up to 100 lockheed martin f-35 stealth fighter jets and a dozens attack planes. gallup poll said workers not engaged in their job. 18% call themselves actively disengaged while 52% are not engaged at all. big beer companies are reporting it's been a rough year. anheuser busch joined several others reporting first quarter sales slumped. up to $100 for carry on bags. for tickets purchased on third-party websites. in addition here, in-flight coffee and soda, two bucks. how much does it cost a according to the government, anywhere from $146 to $289 a week. it depends how thrifty you are.

finally a mea culpa from jc peony. this new ad, apologizing for the ad from the ousted ceo. there's complaints an facebook that the ad is aimed only at young thin model types. it's being called the most racist commercial in history. we'll show it to you and let you decide. that's coming up next.

pepsi is under fire for a highly controversial mountain dew ad that one academic said was, coast, arguably the most racist commercial in history. the ad created by tyler the creator depicts a battered white woman facing a police lineup of all african-american men and a talking goat that intimidates. the woman. let's take a look. >> all right, ma'am, we got them lined up. nail the guy. >> i don't think i can do this. >> just point to him. >> you better not snitch on a player. >> pepsi has pulled the ad and issued the following statement. saying, quote, we apologize for this video and take full responsibility. we have removed it from all mountain dew channels and tyler is removing it from his channel as well. there's a new poll revealing

interesting insight into americans' thinking on the second amendment. 29% of americans, one in three people in this country think an armed revolution might be necessary in the next few years to protect civil liberties. fairleigh dickinson university conducted that poll. only 38% of those surveyed support additional gun control legislation. it as found one in four believe facts about the newtown shootings are being hidden. taking you to sports now. the celtics, they stay alive. boston's paul pierce had 16 points in a critical game five against the knicks. and jeff green had 18 in the 92-86 win to force a game six on friday night in boston. damian lillard of portland was named the 2013 rookie of the year. he played the most in the league. in baseball the chicago cubs might leave wrigley field if the plans to renovate the park is blocked. the team's plan to add new signs and a large video screen to an

aging ballpark has been met with negative opposition so far. cleveland fans are upset about the offensive headline in the philadelphia "daily news" as you can see right there, this follows a 14-2 cleveland win on tuesday night. international pop superstar psy singing his new hit song "gentlemen" right next to the dugout. tommy lasorda was sitting next to psy but did not seem that impressed with the form mansion. undefeated floyd mayweather jr. puts his title on the line against guerrero. that brought fireworks from his trainer. >> we're going to beat up that woman-beater, the one that beat up his wife. in front of his kid. you guys like that woman beater? he must have learned that from his dad.

as they get ready for the kentucky derby seen here on nbc, the post positions were out wednesday. and the first named orb, with the morningline favorite of odds of 7 to 2. in oregon the timbers of major league soccer played an exhibition game with the 8-year-old atticus. he missed some games this season because of cancer treatment but he scored four goals including the game-winner and was happy with his decision. >> kids like to go to disneyland with their family. i chose something that lots of people are doing. >> all right. just ahead, a rock 'n' roll icon who refuses to listen to music on an ipod. and the stories leading the news on this thursday morning. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back. earlier in the show, we showed you the fire pictures outside of l.a. the summit fire about 35% contained. the winds are going to howl again today. it's go to come hot. unfortunately, the winds are kicking up driving the dry air from the mountains. 94 degrees in l.a. 95 in phoenix. that's not going to help things. we're clear and warm all across the west. just an unusual weather pattern across the entire country. of course, you have a fire to fight, you don't want two days in a row like this. friday, 93. more of an onshore flow and marine clouds and cooler

temperatures. if we don't get the fire under control soon, we should be able to do it soon. >> it's like dogs and cats living together, man. this weather is crazy. in northern california, 70s like that, it's earthquake weather. >> don't say that. >> amazing stuff. finally time say good-bye to lindsay lohan. maybe. the 26-year-old actress is shipping off to rehab today for 90 days. the facility doesn't look that bad. here's pictures. each resident of the clinic gets their own private home across from the bay and to top it all off lindsay tweeted this photo with the caption "90 days and 270 looks." in a recent interview keith richards revealed he has no desire to own an ipod. the rock star argued cds and vinyl records have a much better sound than digital and ipods leave us, as he says, all short-changed. according to a new study half of americans think movie trailers show way too much of the film.

"ironman 3" has been pointed out with "sum of all fears" and "cafta way" showing tom hanks getting off of the island there. michael jackson's doctor conrad murray was in deep financial and legal troubles. because of this he gave the singer whatever prescription drugs he wants, in turn for large sums of cash. finally for you, some sources from beyonce's mrs. carter world tour revealed her dive virginia-like demands. hand carved ice balls, red toilet paper and titanium straws used to drink special water at 21 degrees. >> i'm richard lui, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day on your nbc stations.

leading the news this in the los angeles times, jerry brown okayed funds to seize guns held illegally. california governor approved $24 million to confiscate weapons from people who can no longer own them due to criminal restrictions, restraining orders or mental illness. and in "the washington post" obama prods liberals to give and take on senate immigration bill. the president and other democratic leaders are working behind the scenes to get liberals to back senate leaders there. here's other stories. three friends of the boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev are in custody on accusations they tried to protect tsarnaev by disposing his fireworks filled backpack three days after the attack. the 19 year olds are not accused

in connection with the attack itself. the obama administration is appealing a federal court order to lift all age limits to by the plan b morning after pill without a prescription. the federal government says the judge who issued that ruling exceeded his authority and his decision should be suspended while the appeal is under way. on tuesday the fda approved the purchase of plan b-1 step by anyone 15 or older. north korean officials said a u.s. detainee planned to overthrow the government has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, originally detained in november, kenneth bae, a tour operator from washington state could face the death penalty. it's hard to believe that something this cute is real. four newborn white tigers made their debut at a japan zoo yesterday. born in march the rare cubs are among a mere 250 that exist worldwide. in the zoos and parks. visitors said the little ones were full of energy and adorable. and that will change as they get a little bit older, i think. >> yeah, they always want to squish them in a little ball

right now. >> they are kind of unreal at that age. time for a look ahead. president obama travels to mexico. issues will be immigration and trade. country singer george jones will be laid to rest today. the public funeral for jones who died last week at the age of 81 will be held at grand ole opry. in nashville. former first lady laura bush will speak there along with country stars barbara mandrel and kenny chesney. he was one of the good ones. here's what's coming up later today on the "today" show. a brand-new clue in the search for the multimillion-dollar treasure chest. an exclusive look inside jfk's newly resort yacht. >> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day on your nbc station. have a great thursday.

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